Tri-rail Panel Disbands

DIGEST

The Tri-County Commuter Rail Organization voted on Monday to disband, paving the way for a new, more independent agency to run the fledgling Miami-to-West Palm Beach train.

The new board, which consists of nine members, is scheduled to meet formally for the first time on Friday. Among its first tasks: deciding whether Broward, Dade and Palm Beach counties should be saddled with paying a bigger share of the train`s deficits than expected.

The three county commissions had agreed earlier that each county`s obligation should be trimmed from $383,000 to $220,000. But the Florida Department of Transportation has never approved the agreement, meaning that the counties could be forced to pay the larger amount.